KINGSPORT, Tenn.— The Montreat women's basketball team squared off against the No. 2-seeded Point University Skyhawks Friday afternoon in its first Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Semifinal since the 2015-16 season. Despite a solid defensive effort, the Cavaliers ultimately saw their special season end to the tune of a 55-39 defeat. With the loss, the Cavs wrapped up the year at 20-10 overall, their winningest season since 2011-12.
 
Adrianna Gullette opened the scoring for the Cavaliers with a 2-point jumper on the game's initial possession, but offense ultimately proved difficult to come by for Montreat in the first half. Following the Cavaliers' first bucket, Montreat went the next 7:16 without a made field goal. The Skyhawks forced the Cavs into six consecutive misses with five turnovers as they established a 7-4 lead with 2:38 remaining in the frame.
 
A Gullette 3-pointer knotted the score at seven, but a pair of layups and one made free throw handed Point at 12-7 lead after one quarter of play. The Cavaliers ended the initial frame just 2-for-10 (20.0 percent) from the field with six miscues.
 
Point (22-8) extended its run to 9-0 early in the second quarter, and it scored on five straight possessions overall to snag its first double-digit lead at 22-12 midway through the period. Like the first, Makayla Thompson drilled a 3-pointer to pull Montreat within six points, but the Cavs experienced another 7-minute field goal drought in the second frame. Once again, Gullette ended the span, this time with a layup with only 23 seconds left on the clock. Thanks to its strong defensive half, the Skyhawks took a 26-16 lead into the break.
 
Montreat shot 5-for-19 (26.3 percent) from the field through 20 minutes of action, and it connected on two of its six tries from deep (33.3 percent) and just four of its nine free-throw attempts (44.4 percent). On the other side, Point failed to make a 3-point basket (0-7 3-pt FG) but still shot at a 42.9-percent clip (12-28 FG) in the half. The Skyhawks utilized edges in points off turnovers (8-0) and rebounding (21-13) to hold a 10-point lead at the intermission.
 
Three Cavaliers scored in the initial half, led by Gullette's eight points. Vaniyah Petty paced Montreat with four rebounds.
 
Free throws proved to be the main path to scoring for both teams in the third quarter as the two sides combined to score 16 of the frame's 24 points at the charity stripe. For the Skyhawks, that meant 11 points at the line, while the Cavaliers added five points. Mariya Williams made Montreat's lone field goal of the third period (1-8 FG), and she scored five of the Cavs' seven points during the 10-minute span. Tatiyana Cannon added Montreat's other two points at the line, but Montreat entered the fourth facing a 43-23 deficit.
 
Point snatched its largest lead of the game on the opening basket of the fourth (45-23), but the Cavs never gave up. Gullette poured in nine early points and converted Montreat's initial three buckets of the quarter, and Thompson added three points of her own to whittle the gap down to 51-35; however, time wasn't on the Cavaliers' side, and the Skyhawks managed to see out the final few minutes and clinch a 55-39 win over Montreat.
 
Despite not making a 3-pointer on the afternoon (0-13 3-pt FG), the Skyhawks outshot the Cavaliers behind a 38.0-percent effort from the field (19-50 FG). Meanwhile, Montreat went 11-for-42 overall (26.2 percent) and 2-for-12 (16.7 percent) from 3-point range. Point doubled up the Cavs on the glass, 46-23, and controlled the lane with a 34-16 edge in paint points.
 
Gullette captained the Cavalier offense with 17 of its 39 points and six of its 11 made baskets. Thompson, who led Montreat with three assists, and Williams added eight points each, while Petty grabbed a team-best five rebounds.
 
"I'm extremely proud of my team and what we have been able to accomplish on and off the court," said head coach Josh Thompson. "It's been a great group that's learned to love each other and treat each other the right way. I thank the Lord for the opportunity He's given me to coach this team and to coach at Montreat College."
 
The Montreat women's basketball team now enters the offseason after making the AAC Semifinals for the first time since 2015-16 and winning 20+ games for the first time since 2011-12.